Long hot days, gravel roads, ponds, creeks, pastures, cows and the store were all
necessary ingredients for summers in Sessums. Small dairy farms lined the gravel roads
that led to the big, green store. Worn planks on the front porch let you know the store
had been there for a long time. The benches, where some played checkers on pieces of
cardboard with hand drawn squares, were smooth and shiney from years of contact with
overalls. The screen doors, which never seemed to close properly, creaked as you opened
them and served to announce each new customer. No child in Sessums could ever
imagine a day when the store, and the man who gave them bubble gum, would be gone.
Sessums is located just seven miles from the town of Starkville, but in the
summers, before the roads were paved, it was a world away. After all, Starkville was a
real town. It had the Rex and State theaters and Pyron’s ice cream parlor. There were
paved streets, next door neighbors and two pharmacies on main street. There were places
of mystery where teenage boys played pool and smoked. You could get a haircut, see a
doctor, buy clothes or eat lunch at either cafe. Sessums wasn’t like that at all. There was
just one store and the best roads were gravel. It was at least a mile to the closest
playmates.
One mile down a gravel road from our house was the store. For a young
boy this could be quite a distance. There was no variety of transportation from which to
choose. A trip to the store was a big deal and usually meant walking. With a keen eye
and good luck you could pick up enough coke bottles on the way to finance a soft drink,
some penny candy or cookies and of course, several pieces of bubble gum. No walk to
the store would have been complete without an hour or so spent playing in the creek
conveniently located about half way. The trip back was always longer, but a good haul of
sweets made it a bit more tolerable.
Companions in Sessums consisted of your dog, and of course, imagination. Both
were essential to passing time. Pastures, woods and creeks provided the backdrop for
exploration and wars. No summer week was complete until my collie, Tippy, and I routed
the hated bluecoats and sent them packing to the north where we, or at least I, believed
they belonged. Outgunned and undermanned, we never lost a battle.
There was no paved street on which to ride a bike with friends. Come to think of
it, there were no friends around either. But there were two creeks. One ran north and
south, the other east and west. Either one provided ample places for wading, forts, and
exploring. Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett lived in Sessums, repeatedly overcoming
the hostile wilderness and angry natives.
With luck and determination you could find something to eat without a trip to the
store. It was important to learn where all the wild plum bushes were and keep an eye on
them. When they began to ripen, it was time for a trip to the largest grove of wild plums.
If the timing was right, and someone else hadn’t picked them all, there would be a feast
which often resulted in some stomach discomfort. Early summer explorations provided an
opportunity to spot blackberry plants for future picking. Sessums also had its share of
apple and pear trees. They seldom had the chance to fully ripen. Eating green apples and
pears was just part of growing up in the country. Of course summer was not complete
without all the sweet sorghum you could eat. The sorghum grown then was similar to
sugarcane. Three to four sticks of sorghum would fit comfortably in your back pocket,
ready for peeling and chewing.
Sessums is simply the community in which I was raised, but it could just as easily
have been Sarah, Money or Neely. We children of rural Mississippi have much to be
thankful for. The concept of right and wrong was well understood and taught by example.
We learned early that getting the things you want and need meant working. Cows require
milking and crops must be planted, tilled and harvested. The lessons were taught by the
lives of those who lived in Sessums. You might choose not to learn the lessons of rural
life, but you could never pretend that those lessons were not clearly taught.
The roads are paved now and the store is gone. Most of the dairy farms have
ceased to operate. New people have moved in, but the community club provides
neighbors with a chance to be friends. On hot summer days in Sessums Daniel Boone or
Amelia Earhart still explore new lands and make the world a safer place for all. Rural life
requires a lot of you, but the rewards will be remembered for a lifetime.
© Jack Kean 1996